“He’s fine, but this isn’t Ken. And if you aren’t alone, please get alone immediately and don’t give away who you’re talking to.”
There was a pause long enough that Peyton actually looked to make sure the call hadn’t dropped.
“Peyton?”
“Yep. I already called Dewi.”
A relieved sigh rumbled through the line. “Oh, thank christ, lad! I bet Gillian’s relieved.”
“Eh, I haven’t told her yet.”
“What? Ye haven’t told her yet? What the bloody feckin’ hell’s wrong wi’ ye?”
“Let me catch you up, please? Then we’ll go through that.”
“All right.”
For the third time in the space of several hours, Peyton told the story, abridged even further so it only took about ten minutes.
“Bloody hell,” Badger said. “All that and ye found Jake Peterson, too?”
“I know. And I don’t want his existence revealed yet, either. Not even to Carl.”
“Secret weapon, then?”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“Okay, now can we go tell Gillian?” Badger asked.
“Not just yet. Ken told me about what happened when you accepted acting Pack Alpha.”
Another frustrated grumble. “Yer makin’ it hard fer me to take yer side in this.”
“Once I talk to Gillian, I need you to summon Trent and Duncan to Dewi’s cabin so I can talk to all of you on speaker. Don’t tell Duncan or Trent I’m alive yet, either. I’m serious that I don’t want anyone else knowing. Not even Asia.”
“All right. I’m sure ye have yer reasons.”
“I do. And before you even tell Gillian I’m on the phone, or what’s going on, I want you to Prime her so she doesn’t scream and wake up the whole compound.”
Finally, Badger chuckled. “Ye know, that’s probably not the worst plan.”
“I have a decent idea every once in a while.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
Gillian
Gillian was still awake, angry-cleaning the kitchen for something to do because she couldn’t sleep, when Badger walked in and closed the back door behind him. Her blood chilled because she couldn’t read his expression, and she struggled between wanting to throw up and scream.
“What?” she asked.
He approached and held up a staying hand but didn’t touch her. “Lass, it’s Pack Alpha business,” he quietly said.
“What happened?”
He held out his left hand to her, his meaning clear.
She stared at it, for the first time in her life terrified to let him touch her. “Is he dead?” she whispered. “Did they find him?”
